Here's the English version:
Yoann Bourgeois (France) – Opening Performance
On the lawn in front of Slottsfjellhallene, Kaldnes, Tønsberg
️ July 31 at 4:00 PM
️ August 1 at 12:00 PM
️ Free admission
⏱️ Duration: 12 minutes
The Unreachable Suspension Point
What happens in the instant before a fall? At the precise moment when the body reaches its highest point—when gravity seems to hold its breath for a split second—before everything changes.
Set to Philip Glass's iconic Glassworks, Approach 17 invites audiences into a hypnotic world of ascents, falls, and repetition. A staircase leading nowhere becomes the stage for a poetic exploration of balance, risk, and freedom. A solitary figure defies gravity, moving along the boundary between control and surrender in a performance that is both visually striking and deeply meditative.
French artist Yoann Bourgeois is internationally renowned for his spectacular works at the intersection of circus, dance, theatre, and visual art. Through simple yet surprising stage concepts, he creates spaces where the laws of physics seem to bend and movement becomes living poetry. Bourgeois describes his artistic practice as a search for "the unreachable suspension point"—the fleeting moment between rising and falling.
Since founding his company in 2010, Bourgeois has created performances that have captivated audiences around the world. From 2016 to 2022, he directed the National Choreographic Centre in Grenoble, becoming the first circus artist in France to hold such a position. His works are often created specifically for the locations in which they are performed, allowing architecture, landscape, and movement to merge into experiences that can exist only in that particular place and moment.
Approach 17 is a rare opportunity to experience one of Europe's most innovative performing artists. It is a performance that challenges the senses, plays with gravity, and lingers in the mind long after it ends.